3/27/14 Update: Due to inclement weather, the series has been moved to the Woodside Sports Complex in Mauston, Wis. on Sunday and Monday.The road ahead does not get any easier for the University of Minnesota Duluth as the Bulldogs meet in-state rival and the fourth-ranked team in NCAA II in Minnesota State University in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference four-game series beginning Sunday in Mauston, Wis.
UMD (4-8, 0-2 NSIC) got in a pair of games against Wayne State College last weekend despite the frigid air rolling through Wayne, Neb. The Wildcats knocked off UMD 2-0 in a seven-inning game and 5-3 in the nine-inning nightcap Sunday, holding the Bulldogs to a .190/.266/.241 batting line. UMD got a pair of strong starts out of sophomore
Bo Hellquist and junior Wes Mleziva, who combined for 13 innings, allowing just four earned runs and 11 hits. Mleziva collected seven strikeouts while taking the tough-luck loss.
Senior left fielder
Cody Aasen led the Bulldog charge last week as UMD finished out a series victory taking the final two from St. Michael's (Vt.) College including a 7-6 victory
on Monday. The Bulldogs were 2-3 on the week, picking up another win against Johnson University, Florida while falling to West Chester University of Pennsylvania on their final day at the RussMatt Central Florida Invite before heading to WSU. Aasen hit an even .500 with 10 singles on the week and tied junior catcher
Beau Goff and sophomore first baseman
Alex Wojciechowski for the team lead with five runs batted in. As a squad, UMD hit .257/.331/.336 with nine doubles on the week.
Bulldog pitchers held opponents to a .242/.308/.294 batting line while posting a 3.69 ERA in 39.0 innings. Errors continued to haunt the Bulldogs as teams collected five unearned runs on 10 UMD errors on the week. Sophomore hurler
Matt Mattiacci went 1-0 on the week without allowing a run in his seven-inning start against Johnson-Florida. Mattiacci scattered just three hits while striking out four on the day. Opponents batted .136 against him in 24 plate appearances. Freshman
Marco Lucarelli picked up his first career win for UMD last week, tossing four hitless innings in a relief outing against St. Michael's.
Bulldog players have performed well in relief so far in 2014: Pinch hitters are batting .440/.530/.560 on the season with three doubles, five runs scored, and four runs batted in in 30 plate appearances. UMD's eight pitchers who have been used strictly as relievers (five freshmen, two sophomores, and a one junior) have combined for 22 innings in 15 appearances, allowing just 6 earned runs, good for a 2.25 ERA. They've added 15 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .258 batting average.
About the Mavericks| Projected Lineup |
| SS | Todd Standish (Sr.) | .333 |
| 3B | Connor McCallum (Jr.) | .254 |
| C | Nolan Johnson (Jr.) | .319 |
| 1B | Stetson Olson (Sr.) | .348 |
| DH | Mike Andries (Sr.) | .299 |
| RF | Max Waletich (Jr.) | .344 |
| 2B | Eric Peterson (Fr.) | .262 |
| LF | Taylor Branstad (So.) | .275 |
| CF | Parker Sullivan (Sr.) | .306 |
|
Live StatsThe national runner-up in 2013, No. 4 Minnesota State has picked up where it left off last season with a 15-4 record, opening the NSIC season by taking three of four against Southwest Minnesota State University last weekend. The Mavericks exploded for 10 in the series finale with the Mustangs last Sunday afternoon in Sioux City, Iowa.
Senior transfer (Washington State) first baseman Stetson Olson leads MSU with a .348 batting average from the clean-up spot. He enters the weekend on a 10-game hitting streak and has reached base in 19 straight games to start his Maverick career. Juniors Nolan Johnson (C) and Max Waletich (RF) have each collected six multi-hit games for Minnesota State. Waletich is challenging Olson for the team's hitting lead at .344/.417/.469, while Johnson is hitting .319/.359/.458. Senior designated hitter Mike Andries leads the Mavericks with 19 runs batted in, collecting six multi-RBI games. MSU is hitting .301/.386/.420 as a squad with 128 runs scored compared to just 69 allowed.
Minnesota State runs out a four-some of senior right-handed pitchers as the top of its rotation. Jason Hoppe has lived up to his preseason billing as the NSIC's Pitcher of the Year, posting a 3.03 ERA while going 5-0 in his five starts to begin the year. He's averaged over six innings per start, including seven-plus innings three times. Hoppe has 39 strikeouts on the season and has a pair of 11-strikeout games, averaging 10.7 per nine innings. Bryce Bellin has allowed just three earned runs in 27.1 innings in five appearances for a 0.99 ERA. Opponents have hit just .186 against Bellin on the year despite entering the weekend with just an 0-1 record. Taylor Nawrocki has collected four wins in five appearances including a pair of starts, tossing 18.0 innings to the tune of a 1.50 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. T.J. Larson rounds out the rotation, compiling a 3.92 ERA.
As perenniel contenders, the Mavericks own a 49-10 record all-time against UMD.
Opening pitch of the series is slated for 2:00 p.m. at the Woodside Sports Complex in Mauston, Wis.
* Ranking reflects National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) rankings as of March 25, 2014.
